Needham & Company LLC Has Lowered Expectations for MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Stock Price

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) had its price objective lowered by stock analysts at Needham & Company LLC from $390.00 to $300.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock. Needham & Company LLC‘s price objective indicates a potential upside of 56.03% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on MKSI. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of MKS from $360.00 to $330.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of MKS from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, September 28th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $600.00 price target on shares of MKS in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of MKS from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $360.00 price objective on shares of MKS in a research report on Friday, July 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $366.77.

MKS Stock Up 8.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI traded up $15.45 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $192.27. 2,616,226 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,346,953. The firm has a market cap of $13.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.81, a PEG ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 2.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.14. MKS has a 52-week low of $134.74 and a 52-week high of $447.62. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $240.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $277.02.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $4.18 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.63 by $0.55. The firm had revenue of $1.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.36 billion. MKS had a return on equity of 24.72% and a net margin of 10.15%. MKS’s revenue for the quarter was up 43.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.93 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that MKS will post 13.14 EPS for the current year.

MKS announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, November 4th that authorizes the company to repurchase $500 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the scientific and technical instruments company to repurchase up to 3.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Share buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO John Tseng-Chung Lee sold 10,000 shares of MKS stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $302.01, for a total value of $3,020,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 134,776 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,703,699.76. The trade was a 6.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.96, for a total transaction of $75,288.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 18,845 shares in the company, valued at $4,729,341.20. This represents a 1.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MKS

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MKSI. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in MKS in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Allied Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in MKS during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Clearstead Trust LLC bought a new position in MKS during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of MKS in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of MKS by 47.5% in the 2nd quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting MKS

Here are the key news stories impacting MKS this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MKS beat third-quarter estimates, reporting adjusted EPS of $4.18 versus roughly $3.63 expected. Revenue rose 43% year over year, supported by strong semiconductor demand. Zacks Q3 earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Management pointed to AI-fueled demand, capacity expansion and improving margins, and forecast fourth-quarter adjusted EPS of $4.62–$5.38—signaling potential for continued growth. Zacks earnings-call highlights
• Positive Sentiment: The company authorized a $500 million share repurchase program, which may support demand for the stock and signals the board’s willingness to return capital to shareholders. $500 million buyback announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Several firms cut their price targets, tempering the positive earnings news. Deutsche Bank lowered its target to $240 from $385 but maintained Buy; Citigroup cut to $350 from $430 and also kept Buy. Wells Fargo reduced its target to $195 from $285 and maintained Equal Weight. Deutsche Bank target update Citigroup target update Wells Fargo target update

About MKS

MKS Instruments, Inc (NASDAQ: MKSI) develops technologies that enable precision control and measurement in manufacturing and research environments. The company provides instruments, components, systems and process-control solutions used to measure and control pressure, flow, vacuum, gas delivery, temperature and other critical production conditions.

Its product portfolio includes vacuum solutions, pressure and flow-control instruments, gas and vapor delivery systems, plasma and reactive-gas technologies, power delivery systems, process-monitoring equipment, analytical instruments and materials-characterization tools.